Transparent clingable dress patterns



June 11, 1957 E. BERLIN TRANSPARENT CLINGABLE DRESS PATTERNS Filed June 1, 1956 i a hint IN VEN TOR.

Begum United; States Patent M 2,795,047 TRANSPARENT CLINGABLE DRESS PATTERNS Erna Berlin, New York, N. Y. 7 A lia. June 1,1956, SerialNo. 588,680 '1 can. eras- 12) This invention relates to the art of garment patterns and particularly concerns a moldable, transparent pattern for dresses, blouses, skirts, suits and the like.

Patterns for form fitting garments such as dresses have heretofore been provided in sizes which approximate the sizes of the wearers, and then either the patterns or the a finished garments have had to be altered to provide a more exact fit to any particular wearer. The present invention is directed at providing a pattern or pattern piece which is moldable and adjustable on the body of the wearer or on a form to substantiate an exact fit so that the finished garment requires practically no final adjustments nor alterations.

It is a principal object to provide a garment pattern piece made of transparent or translucent plastic material which is pressure sensitive so that it can be molded to fit the form of a wearer.

It is a further object to provide a garment pattern approximating the form of a persons body, with the pattern so constituted that it clings to the body in a form fitting fashion without use of conventional pins, adhesives, and the like.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Figs. 1 and 2 are plan views of pattern pieces according to the invention.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a form with a pattern piece thereon before being-molded to fit the form.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with two pattern pieces fitted to the form.

In Fig. 1 is shown a fiat pattern piece which may be part of a blouse pattern or the upper part of a dress pattern. The pattern piece is a sheet made of a thin selfadhering transparent plastic material which is moldable by finger pressure at room temperature to conform to a curved body or form. A suitable plastic material for this purpose is vinylidene chloride copolymer film also known as Saran and distributed by the Dow Chemical Corporation of Lansing, Michigan. Other suitable plastic materials are polyethylene film, chlorotrifiuoroethylene polymer film, and regenerated cellulose film. The latter materials are not pressure sensitive at room temperature, but are rendered pressure sensitive upon being heated so that upon cooling the materials are self-adherent.

The pattern piece 10'has its perimeter 11 shaped to approximate the lines it is to have when fitted to the form. The piece has such dimensions that it can be molded to fit the entire range of sizes for which the garment pattern is intended. For example, if a certain pattern generally is made in sizes nine to twenty, the pattern piece 10 will be made large enough to be fitted to a size twenty form. Then without cutting, tearing, pinning or pasting, the pattern piece will be adjusted to any particular size form.

'Fig. 2 shows a pattern piece 14. This piece is intended to form part of a skirt or lower portion of a dress pattern. This piece also is made of transparent or translucent plastic sheet material as above described. Theperimeter 15 of this sheet 14 is shaped to conform approximately to its ultimate shape on the form or body.

The pattern made in accordance with the present invention is primarily designed for-home use, since the pattern can be used over and over again by folding and unfolding the creases for different sizes of garments. The pattern may also be marked by perforations for home sewers.

In Fig. 3 the pattern piece 10 is shown placed adjacent to a form or persons body F. It will be noted that the pattern piece in over-all dimension is somewhat larger in size than it need be to serve as a portion of a blouse pattern for this particular size form. The pattern piece is to be molded to fit the form F.

In Fig. 4 pattern pieces 10 and 14 have been molded to fit the form or body F. Straight edges 22 and 23 are placed in alignment at the central line of the body. Folds 17 and 18 adjust the piece 10 for over-all length. Fold 16 adjust it for over-all width. These folds are made by pinching the sheet material between the fingers so that the excess material in the fold adheres to itself and is raised from the remaining sheet surface which remains snugly fitted to the form. Smaller self-adhering tucks or pleats are the folds 21, 27 which make the fitting more precise to form F. The lower piece 14 also has longitudinal folds 29 and transverse folds 25, 28 to adjust the over-all length of the pattern piece. Smaller folds 20 adjust the piece to the desired precise curvatures. If desired, the lower edge 19 of piece 10 and the upper edge 19' of piece 14 may be joined by finger pressure to form the waist fold 19". Thus the several pieces may be removed as a single molded pattern unit.

The molded pattern pieces may be removed from the form and any suitable fabric may now be cut following the molded pattern piece outline. The resulting cut fabric will be so precisely prefitted to the body F that little or no final fitting adjustments are required. The transparency of the pattern pieces is desirable for noting where the various body parts are disposed with respect to the pattern piece before the piece is molded to the body. Also it is desirable that the fabric to be cut to the outline of the pattern be visible beneath the pattern piece. Conventional patterns now known are not transparent, or if made of tissue paper, they are not sufliciently transparent.

It is important to note that the pattern pieces are made of plastic sheeting which is quite tough and resistant to tearing. The use of this material thus overcomes a serious disadvantage present in delicate tissue paper patterns which tear easily in use.

When the pattern pieces are made of a thermoplastic material which becomes self-adhering at elevated temperatures, it is possible to fit the pattern pieces to a form by making temporary folds held by pins or by the fingers. Then each fold may be made permanent by lightly touching it with a hot iron. The adjoining sides of the fold will adhere only to each other and not to the form. The molded pattern piece may then be removed and used as a finished pattern for the garment to be cut from a selected fabric. If pins are used in forming the temporary folds, they may be removed after the permanent folds, creases, tucks, or pleats are made.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may Patented June 11, .1951

3. be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patcut is:

A garment patterncomprising a longitudinal front half and a longitudinal rear half attached togethen each half comprising a plurality of sections of transparent finger pressure-sensitive plastic film material disposed side by side and end to end whose adjacent edges are connected by foldsformed by manually pinching together the material constituting the edges, said material being sufiiciently thin and pliable so as to closely cling and closely con- 4 form to the contour of the body of the wearer, said sections being foldable longitudinally and transversely for gathering excess material into longitudinal and transverse folds between the folded connected edges, said plastic film material being vinylidene chloride copolymer film material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,115,703 Bloom May 3, 1938 2,411,328 MacNab Nov. 19, 1946 2,553,847 Collins May 22, 1951 2,657,159 Nahman Oct. 27, 1953 

